CHAPTER 4 - Broken and Empty

Serena restrained herself, trying to keep her voice polite.

"I want to talk about my mother's condition. The doctor recommends that she be transferred to a larger hospital. I hope you'll consider covering her medical expenses."

Claudia chuckled, her eyes gleaming with mockery.

"Oh, so you've come to me asking for money?"

Serena clenched her fists.

"It's not like that. I just... you know my mother's condition. She needs better treatment."

The woman took a sip of wine before looking at Serena with a condescending gaze.

"Serena, you're far too naive. Do you think you can use the money in this house however you please? Remember, your mother is no longer part of the Collins family. I'm the lady of this house now."

Serena held her breath, struggling to contain the anger rising inside her.

"She's still Father's wife, and she's still my mother. She deserves the best care possible."

Claudia scoffed and gave her a faint smile.

"Then why don't you work harder and pay for your mother's treatment yourself? Stop relying on this family's wealth."

"You're the reason my mother became sick. If you had never come into our family, she would still be healthy and happy."

Serena could no longer force herself to be polite.

"Haha..."

Claudia laughed mockingly.

"Stupid girl. Don't blame me for outdoing your mother. She simply wasn't capable of keeping her husband."

Serena could not bear listening to Claudia's words any longer. She wanted to leave.

But before she could take a step away, Claudia spoke again.

"Your mother was too innocent and too kind, Serena. She was the one who brought me into this house herself. Naturally, I only took what belonged to me. As for her getting sick, that's her own problem."

Hearing that, Serena turned around.

Her anger could no longer be contained.

"You can mock me all you want, but don't you ever insult my mother!" Serena shouted.

She left Claudia behind, while the woman merely stared at her as though she couldn't believe her stepdaughter had raised her voice.

As Serena walked through the corridor, her steps halted in front of Marissa's bedroom.

The door was slightly open, and Marissa's sharp voice carried clearly into the hallway.

Serena had no intention of eavesdropping, but the words struck her like a physical blow.

"Ethan, I'm tired of this. I don't want to keep being your mistress," Marissa said sharply, no longer using her usual sweet tone. "I'm sick of hiding. I want you to choose. End that ridiculous engagement already."

Serena bit her lip.

The words felt like a slap across the face.

She hoped she wouldn't have to hear Ethan's response, but Marissa switched her phone to speaker mode.

From the other end, Ethan's voice came through just as clearly.

"Marissa, you know it's not that simple. My parents arranged everything. They want Serena. I can't call it all off overnight."

"Excuses!" Marissa snapped.

"It's always your parents! I'm the one who's always there for you. I'm the one you come to for pleasure. I'm the one you say you love, yet you're still hiding behind your engagement to her. When am I finally going to be the only one in your life?"

Serena closed her eyes.

Her chest ached.

Ethan fell silent for a moment before answering.

"I care about you. But I can't recklessly go against my family. If I do, I'll lose everything. I need time."

"Time?" Marissa nearly shouted.

"I've already given you time all this while, Ethan! Do you think I don't have any self-respect? People are already talking about me behind my back. They think I'm nothing more than your mistress. Do you know what that feels like?"

Ethan let out a heavy sigh.

"Don't say that. You know you're the one I've chosen in my heart. Serena is just a family obligation."

Serena could hear Ethan's voice rise slightly.

Marissa fell silent. When she spoke again, her voice was lower, but no less piercing.

"I'm tired of this, Ethan. If you really care about me, prove it tonight. Let me know I'm still yours."

Ethan was quiet for several seconds.

When he finally spoke, his voice was deep, as if he were thinking carefully.

"Come to my apartment tonight. We'll talk. We'll be together. I've missed you."

Serena held her breath, her body trembling.

Those words cut far deeper than anything else.

It felt as though the entire world had faded around her.

Even though their relationship had begun as an arranged engagement, Serena had genuinely tried to love Ethan with all her heart.

That was why his affair with her stepsister hurt her a thousand times more.

And now, she was hearing with her own ears all the sweet words Ethan had never spoken to her.

Serena took a step back, her body shaking violently.

Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.

Every word had been crystal clear, stabbing straight into her heart.

With unsteady steps, she returned to her bedroom.

She entered and immediately locked the door behind her, her trembling hands fumbling with the lock.

The moment her back touched the door, her tears broke free again.

Serena sank to the floor and hugged her knees tightly.

That night, she cried harder than she ever had before.

All of her pain had piled together into one unbearable weight. The arranged engagement, her mother's illness, her father's indifference, her cruel stepmother, and now Ethan's confirmation that his heart had never belonged to her.

Inside the locked room, Serena drowned in her sorrow.